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Chief's Corner: Police officer well-being enhances community safety
Chief's Corner: John Phoennik
Police officer well-being enhances community safety
Earlier this fall, I accepted an invitation to take part in a podcast and videocast that focuses on wellness from a law enforcement perspective.
I had the pleasure of working with Paige Arnone, founder of Arizona-based Firstgevity, a virtual wellness program that supports the health and longevity of first responders.
For her "Words of the Wise" podcast, she interviewed me about leadership topics, including what I have done for officer wellness. I’d like to share some key points of our discussion with you.
During 39 years of experience in law enforcement, I have developed my leadership style from observing both poor leadership and good leadership. As chief, I have applied lessons learned to the South Fayette Township Police Department.
Boosting morale in a police department can be a slow process, but genuinely putting value on officers can improve their morale, safety, and physical and mental well-being. This, in turn, helps officers protect and serve our community.
Since I became chief in 2014, I have prioritized placing value on employees, which enhances the work environment and culture of the department.
I have worked to shift from the mindset of “this is how things were always done” to a practice of doing them better, or in a more efficient way. Breaking this cycle can make everything fairer for all employees, which benefits our department and the public.
Community policing is important to me. Maintaining communication with our residents builds trust with the people who pay our salaries—so we’re not just faces in the patrol car.
We encourage officers to treat citizens with the respect and professionalism that our community members deserve. How an officer treats someone during a difficult or negative encounter makes a world of difference to that person.
At the end of the interview, Paige asked for words of wisdom. I thought a while about what I have told younger and newer officers, and it boils down to this: Our career is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s important to be your own person and keep your values even during the most challenging times.
If you’re interested in hearing more of our discussion, you can view the entire interview on the South Fayette Township YouTube channel @southfayettepa.
Firstgevity is expected to publish the interview in December on Spotify and YouTube @PaigeArnone.
